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Steve Earle — Rivers Of Babylon
Album: Train A Comin'
Avg rating:
5.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 798









Released: 1995
Length: 2:52
Plays (last 30 days): 0
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion

It was the wicked
Carry us away captivity
Require from us a song
How can we sing King Alfa's song
In a strange land?

By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion

Oh, but the wicked
Carry us away captivity
Require from us a song
How can we sing King Alfa's song
In a strange land?

By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion

By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion

By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion
Comments (106)add comment
 cely wrote:

Hilariously weird negative response to this song.  Do the country folk hate something island?  Do the purists hate a country version?  The original is one of the greats.  SE doing it is also awesome.  Get a life people.



Good questions!
I thought it was John Cougar.
 justin4kick wrote:

Hearing this Boney M wasn't that bad


besides the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons, there should be a "I piss my pants from laughing" button 
I gave it a 10, as it is a lovely song which Steve gave a nice version of, and with Emmyou doing background vocals on a classic reggae song, earns it a 10 all on its own! I once took Emmylou to a Burning Spear concert and she absolutely dug it! She and I danced until the end of the show! It was at the old Quiet Knight in Chicago in the early 80s. That shows how country and reggae go hand in hand! The Jamaicans adore Jim Reeves (old country singer), so why can't Steve and Emmylou adore reggae and sing a lovely song like this? All you haters are really dumb, sorry. This is a lovely version of this lovely song!
Show of hands: Which of you were here down in the comments section within 5 seconds of this song starting?  Ik know I was.  ;-)
Digging Emmylou on the backing vocals...
 thewiseking wrote:
Steve, ya changed the words!


א  עַל נַהֲרוֹת, בָּבֶל--שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ, גַּם-בָּכִינוּ:    בְּזָכְרֵנוּ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן.1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.ב  עַל-עֲרָבִים בְּתוֹכָהּ--    תָּלִינוּ, כִּנֹּרוֹתֵינוּ.2 Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps.ג  כִּי שָׁם שְׁאֵלוּנוּ שׁוֹבֵינוּ, דִּבְרֵי-שִׁיר--    וְתוֹלָלֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה:
שִׁירוּ לָנוּ,    מִשִּׁיר צִיּוֹן.3 For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth: {N}
'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'ד  אֵיךְ--נָשִׁיר אֶת-שִׁיר-יְהוָה:    עַל, אַדְמַת נֵכָר.4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?ה  אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם--    תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי.5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.ו  תִּדְבַּק-לְשׁוֹנִי, לְחִכִּי--    אִם-לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי:
אִם-לֹא אַעֲלֶה, אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם--    עַל, רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי.6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; {N}
if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.ז  זְכֹר יְהוָה, לִבְנֵי אֱדוֹם--    אֵת, יוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם:
הָאֹמְרִים, עָרוּ עָרוּ--    עַד, הַיְסוֹד בָּהּ.7 Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem; {N}
who said: 'Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.'ח  בַּת-בָּבֶל,    הַשְּׁדוּדָה:
אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם-לָךְ--    אֶת-גְּמוּלֵךְ, שֶׁגָּמַלְתְּ לָנוּ.8 O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed; {N}
happy shall he be, that repayeth thee as thou hast served us.ט  אַשְׁרֵי, שֶׁיֹּאחֵז וְנִפֵּץ אֶת-עֹלָלַיִךְ--    אֶל-הַסָּלַע.9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock. {P}
 
Yup - mbabylon, ndown for just 2 inventions of his in the first 2 lines!
Hilariously weird negative response to this song.  Do the country folk hate something island?  Do the purists hate a country version?  The original is one of the greats.  SE doing it is also awesome.  Get a life people.
Steve Earl is good, but this version can't hold a candle to The Melodians original.  Viz:  'The Harder They Come'.
Steve Earle is a master storyteller and exemplary musician. 

Clueless haters be damned.
Don't know why so many people hate this song. It's perfectly fine.
Wow, the first time I've given a track 1. Awful. 
 MattRudely wrote:
Hideous. Why is there no zero rating.
 
The '0' rating is reserved for people who don't listen to RP
 jp33442 wrote:
Steve should be in jail for writing this song
 

Good thing he didn't, then.

Hearing this Boney M wasn't that bad
 dtl wrote:


Sure does sound like Emmylou...
 

One might rightly say she sounds EXACTLY like Emmylou. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...)
 cc_rider wrote:
Okay, I get the bad comments. Ain't my fave SE either. But Ol' Steve doesn't do it for anyone but himself.

At the tail end, did anyone else hear a background singer that sounds like Emmylou Harris? Hmm...
c.
 

Sure does sound like Emmylou...
Great song.  Interesting version.  I know Bill loves an interesting cover 
From me a 10 ^_^👍😂 Okay. Only a 7 😁
Steve should be in jail for writing this song
This song is about longing for a place and time.
This sounds more like longing for a lost bottle of brew.
4
Okay, I get the bad comments. Ain't my fave SE either. But Ol' Steve doesn't do it for anyone but himself.

At the tail end, did anyone else hear a background singer that sounds like Emmylou Harris? Hmm...
c.
Steve, ya changed the words!


א  עַל נַהֲרוֹת, בָּבֶל--שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ, גַּם-בָּכִינוּ:    בְּזָכְרֵנוּ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן.1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.ב  עַל-עֲרָבִים בְּתוֹכָהּ--    תָּלִינוּ, כִּנֹּרוֹתֵינוּ.2 Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps.ג  כִּי שָׁם שְׁאֵלוּנוּ שׁוֹבֵינוּ, דִּבְרֵי-שִׁיר--    וְתוֹלָלֵינוּ שִׂמְחָה:
שִׁירוּ לָנוּ,    מִשִּׁיר צִיּוֹן.3 For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth: {N}
'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'ד  אֵיךְ--נָשִׁיר אֶת-שִׁיר-יְהוָה:    עַל, אַדְמַת נֵכָר.4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land?ה  אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם--    תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי.5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.ו  תִּדְבַּק-לְשׁוֹנִי, לְחִכִּי--    אִם-לֹא אֶזְכְּרֵכִי:
אִם-לֹא אַעֲלֶה, אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם--    עַל, רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתִי.6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; {N}
if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.ז  זְכֹר יְהוָה, לִבְנֵי אֱדוֹם--    אֵת, יוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם:
הָאֹמְרִים, עָרוּ עָרוּ--    עַד, הַיְסוֹד בָּהּ.7 Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem; {N}
who said: 'Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.'ח  בַּת-בָּבֶל,    הַשְּׁדוּדָה:
אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם-לָךְ--    אֶת-גְּמוּלֵךְ, שֶׁגָּמַלְתְּ לָנוּ.8 O daughter of Babylon, that art to be destroyed; {N}
happy shall he be, that repayeth thee as thou hast served us.ט  אַשְׁרֵי, שֶׁיֹּאחֵז וְנִפֵּץ אֶת-עֹלָלַיִךְ--    אֶל-הַסָּלַע.9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock. {P}
SB rating from me. :( No redeeming features...
A well earned sucko-barfo
Hideous. Why is there no zero rating.
After hearing this he should have stayed in jail
I'd rather hear the german disco version. {#Ass}
Vanity kills. May never hear this song in a fruitful, productive way again. Will take time. 
I would consider myself a Steve Earl fan but this must be the worst version of this classic I have ever heard.  -1
OK Haters... What is a musician to do when he or she loves a song? Not play it with background singers that seem to enjoy it also?  Self-edit on the recording selection I suppose....
I'll admit that RP is definitely demonstrating its range of music by playing this after Rachid Taha, but this was enough to drive me to the PSD button.
 Xstar wrote:
A TEN FOR BALLS!!!!  YA'LL JUST DON'T GET IT!  {#Nyah}

 
Don't get it, don't want it.
I've been a RP fan for maybe 7 years and I've got nothing against Steve Earle, but this is the worst song I've ever heard Bill play on this station.  By far.

I had a physical reaction to it similar to sharing a confined space with some month-old roadkill, a rotting cabbage, and a small child with an uncontrollable, putrid, liquid farting problem. 
 touche!

JeriF wrote:
A lyric/poem I've known since childhood which was set to a very similar melody just jumped in my head because of this tune! 

Don't know its origins but, the lyric was:
How dry I am
How wet I'll be
If I don't find
My bathroom key     

 {#Wall}

 


A lyric/poem I've known since childhood which was set to a very similar melody just jumped in my head because of this tune! 

Don't know its origins but, the lyric was:
How dry I am
How wet I'll be
If I don't find
My bathroom key     

 {#Wall}

A TEN FOR BALLS!!!!  YA'LL JUST DON'T GET IT!  {#Nyah}
{#Stop} {#No}
By the rivers of Babylon, y'all.  This cut has no reason to exist.  Gave it a 2, but a 1 probably more appropriate.
Sounds like a couple of really drunk people sitting around a campfire, taking themselves seriously, in an embarrassing karaoke kind of way.
I thought I liked Steve Earle's style, until I heard this monstrously cheesy awful version of a great classic. Moved from 2 down to 1. And it is very rare for me to rate a song 1. but yup. this is one for me.{#Frustrated}
Ahhh! The sequel to arabic blues. I love it. Thanks RP for the duality.
Kudos to yer man for trying, but IMO Jamaica doesn't translate to redneck very well, for all that the lyrics are likely as applicable to backwoods US as to the Caribbean.
definitely not one of Steve Earle's best...  blechh.
Did he just say "Mabylon"?
 wondering he changed it to the singular (where he sat down etc) instead of plural we, as in the original (including the original Hebrew). Odd.
Ahbb.... Eh... No. no thank you steve. Like your stuff usually, but... Mmm. Nope. 2
 Spot_69 wrote:
I really like the Sublime version as well! This seems to be a very popular tune for reggae and reggae influenced bands of all sorts to record.

 
Prefer the Sublime version. 
Wow, what a surprisingly cool cover.   
OUCH!  4.9?!  I'm am not optimistic hearing this for the first time!  And generally like SE.
Steve Earle is very talented.  Interesting article in the WSJ last week about him, too.
How about something from Steve's sister Stacey?  It would be infinitely better than this....and I have always loved Emmy Lou.
The longer I listen the lower the rating gets. By the time it's over... a "1".
To much of alcohol, i would say....

Terrible in many ways. Riwors ow behbelooo...


Wow, this is bland as bland can be. Ugh.
 ziggytrix wrote:
RIVERDANCIN!
 
Ha ha!!!! Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most amusing. 
Sounds like "By the rivers of mamalon, where we sat noun". So affected. I can barely listen to it. 
I can't recall when I was more surprised by low ratings. This song is great, I always looked forward to it at the end of the album. I guess too many people have heard too many other versions and can't resist comparing it to them.
It's a great version! I love how rootsie and sparse it is... really heart felt.
Pales in comparison to the original.  Falls way short.
 HonduranRed wrote:
This is GREaT!!!!.a surprise from Steve Earle!
 
Yes! I Agree{#Jump}
This is GREaT!!!!.a surprise from Steve Earle!
I love Steve. I love Emmy Lou. But please don't ever play this again. Thanks.
This guy gets my vote.
I really like steve earle normally, but this is terrible. i'd rather hear the boney-M version :-)
Spot_69 wrote:
Yep, Psalm 137: "Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem". Talk about roots! Now, I'm a highly un-religious cat myself, but I've always liked the harmonies that tend to go along with this song.
So...you might say, you shun religion, religiously? Ironic.
tHIS IS A HORRIBLE VERSION :P ">
Yep, Psalm 137: "Lament over the Destruction of Jerusalem". Talk about roots! Now, I'm a highly un-religious cat myself, but I've always liked the harmonies that tend to go along with this song. TML wrote:
This song is taken from a hymn which was in turn taken from Psalm 137. That's a derivation for you!
I really like the Sublime version as well! This seems to be a very popular tune for reggae and reggae influenced bands of all sorts to record. laprincessa wrote:
No one's mentioned the Sublime version of this song yet -- so, here I am. Consider it mentioned. :D
I can feel this song reddeming itself for me..
not much better than the Boney M version
make it go away.
I like the Bob Marley version better. The Melodians version is the best, however. I have not heard the Jimmy Cliff version.
:verysorry: Nothing worse to remind me of my awkward childhood, make it go away!!!! Although it's not as terrible as that Boney M. version :-&
this starts out so simiiar to the first song on neil young's harvest moon album. this is the first time I realized it!
jkdufair wrote:
The song was originally performed by The Melodians. Sublime has an excellent version, as does Jimmy Cliff. This one has placed itself firmly on the bottom of the versions I've heard. Didn't know Marley recorded it.
Thanks for the history. Ditto your rating on this weak version of a great song.
This song is taken from a hymn which was in turn taken from Psalm 137. That's a derivation for you!
KevDog wrote:
This is a fine song. Why all the negativity?
because it's so painfully earnest, it drains all/any of the potential enjoyment out of the song. Which I've never thought had a particularly good tune, anyway.
Okay, I sorta like Steve Earle but it seems totally wrong that the original version by The Melodians (on the Harder They Come Soundtrack) is not in the R.P. database. That would be akin to not having The Beatles version of "Let It Be" in the R.P. database and instead only having the version by the Irish band DeDannan. I'll upload the version by The Melodians to see if B&R will put it into the database.
The song was originally performed by The Melodians. Sublime has an excellent version, as does Jimmy Cliff. This one has placed itself firmly on the bottom of the versions I've heard. Didn't know Marley recorded it.
A little Steve Earle goes a LONG way.....and this particular cut seems like an endless highway. No more, please? <-o<
fisherking wrote:
Thanks RP! Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Peter Rowan all together on one song! Play "I ain't ever satisfied" someday please.
Wow...thought I recognized those vocals...Peter Rowan, although obscure in mainstream audiences, is a PHENOMENAL musician/singer. But my favorite version of this song will always be Bob Marley's!!
Who did it originally. I thought it was a Boney M song.
That is a really efficient way to destroy a phenomenal song.
what IS this crap!?
One of the worst performers I\'ve seen live. :roll:
Loose, enjoyable.
This song was playing when the President announced the attack of Saddam/Iraq began .....
I like his version. I learned this song from Sandy on Franconia Ridge. Four of us went up to bivouac (sp?). We sat on the ridge at dusk, the clouds blowing in and swirling around us. She played the recorder and we sang three part harmony. I get the same body shivers now as then just thinking about it. Definitely a peak musical moment.
I enjoyed this. It sort of reminds me of The Weight. I don't know what artists perform that song, but I'd love to hear it on Paradise Radio!
This is absolute bollocks, I refuse point blank to subject Cagey to this inane crap (off)!
No one\'s mentioned the Sublime version of this song yet -- so, here I am. Consider it mentioned. :D
Thanks RP! Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Peter Rowan all together on one song! Play \"I ain\'t ever satisfied\" someday please.
i don\'t know what i think of this because Mick just turned it off :roll: :D
Originally Posted by scren: i remember a beautiful version of this song by linda rondstadt-- you don't happen to have that in the rp collection, do you?
scren, see my first post below (Sept. 2001) about the Linda Ronstadt cover of this song. Her version is not in the RP catalogue. I may just have to do something about that because I think her cover is great.
i remember a beautiful version of this song by linda rondstadt-- you don\'t happen to have that in the rp collection, do you?
I agree. Very nice!
yuk... wasn\'t Boney M also singing this song? :D
Do I detect the background vocals of Emmylou Harris on this tune?
Thats twice today on this song. Ugh.